Given the complexity of the talent development process, it seems likely that a range of psychological factors underpin an athlete's ability to translate potential into top-class performance. Therefore, the purpose of part one of this two-part investigation was to explore the attributes that facilitate the successful development of athletes from initial involvement to achieving and maintaining world-class status. Seven elite athletes and a parent of each of these athletes were interviewed regarding their own (their son's/ daughter's) development in sport. Data were content analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Although sporting achievement was conceptualized as being multidimensional, psychological factors were highlighted as the key determinants of those who emerged as talented and maintained excellence. Accordingly, we suggest that talent identification and development programs should place greater emphasis on the advancement and application of psychological behaviors at an early stage to optimize both the development and performance of athletes.Considerable research evidence attests to the role of psychological factors as determinants of elite performance. Orlick and Partington (1998), for example, identified psychological "success factors" (e.g., high level of commitment, long and short term goals, imagery, focus, pre-and in-competition plans) that distinguished successful athletes from their less successful counterparts. Supporting these find-

MacNamara, Button, & Collins (under review) proposed that if individuals are to fulfill their potential they must possess and systematically develop a specific set of skills (termed Psychological Characteristics of Developing Excellence or PCDEs) that allow them to interact effectively with the developmental opportunities they are afforded. Given the complexity of the developmental pathway, it may well be that different skills are needed at different stages of development and across different performance domains. Twenty-four elite participants from team sports, individual sports, and music were purposefully sampled from different domains and interviewed on their experiences of their own pathways to excellence. Results suggested that although PCDEs were important throughout development, the manner by which they were deployed depended on stage, domain, and the characteristics of the individual performer. These findings support proposals to systematically incorporate PCDEs into TID practices because these may be the key feature in maintaining progress toward excellence.

Physical education and sport are often critically evaluated for the potential impact they can have on the development of children, both from the perspective of health and the development of sporting talent. Reflecting these two important goals, this paper presents an evaluation of the efficacy of an evidence-based, educational and inclusive approach to the promotion of lifelong physical activity and development of talent in children. A two-year pilot programme (n = 1060, mixed gender) was delivered through formal lessons and extracurricular activity clubs within the Scottish Education System utilizing an integrated package of physical and mental skills development. A triangulation of qualitative and quantitative data, collected through a range of interviews and the Young Peoples’ Physical Activity Questionnaire and Young People’s Perception Questionnaire, provided evidence for the efficacy of such an approach in short-term promotion of present activity levels and longer term changes in the key attitudes required for success (e.g. perceived competence, self-determination and self-motivation). Significant improvements in participation levels, self-determination, perceived competence and self-motivation were found, supporting the qualitative results relating to the positive impact of the programme. The impact of such a philosophy and programme on child development, teacher education, initiative coherence, physical activity and talent development are discussed.

No abstract

No abstract